That's so sad. I'm not too far away from that area, and thank God the last time I worked there was years ago. However, I was considering going back as recently as the last few weeks, and am so fortunate that they didn't get back to me in time...
If you've read my blog over time, you've heard me recount how immigrants (illegal and otherwise), have taken over company after company and pushed Americans out of jobs.
That candy factory is one of those places, and when I last worked there, the migrants were telling us citizens that the few of us that were Americans would be next on the chopping block as they wanted our jobs for their friends and family members who had crossed the southern border.
It's very likely the reason why I never heard back from the supervisors recently when I was looking for work and considering going back there, as they always look out for their own people.
In this case, it's ironic that being an American citizen just might be what saved me from all that...
The section that blew up is know as the "old building" and is the actual location that I last worked in. There are a number of buildings that the company uses including another factory complex about a mile or so away which I also worked at.
The old building consisted of a warren or rooms densely packed with people and equipment. It was hot and stuffy due to there being almost no ventilation as the windows were always shut or obstructed. The place reeked of rancid chocolate and other underlining foul odors that I can't quite place right now.
You'd walk in and go: "What is that God-aweful smell?"
I never bought or God forbid, ate any of the candy that they produced in that disgusting place, and warned my friends and family not to as well.
BTW, singer Taylor Swift was born in the borough and lived there before moving to Nashville where she became a star.
I Never Felt Safe In That Building...
I never felt safe there and always wore a respirator due to the constant presence of tiny particles of something floating through the air.
I had two concerns in that place: One, that it was a firetrap with stuff stacked everywhere and no easy way out, and two, the threat of violence due to the gang activity on the premises.
Every time I worked there I'd map out in my mind possible routes of escape just in case the place went up in flames. I knew people secretly smoked in there knowing they weren't supposed to, so a fire caused by lit cigarettes, was always on my mind. While I didn't expect it to blow up, there was always a background feeling of foreboding about the place, and I'm so glad I wasn't able to go back there.
I can't say that I'm surprised at the explosion though, considering the way they had people and candy squished together in there like sardines. It's one of the reasons why I turned down working in the old building back in 2018, and instead chose the newer complex nearby.
They were always trying to switch people over to that stuffy old building, and would even bait you with the new building and when you arrived, they'd tell you to go to that nasty old building. Nobody wanted to work in that sealed-up, maze-like place.
That old place just felt like a tomb to me and was not a place you wanted to be if you suffered from claustrophobia which thankfully, I didn't. I used to go outside during breaks, as I couldn't stand breathing in that hot, particle-filled air.
I send my prayers to the deceased and hope more of the missing will be found alive. If anything constructive can come out of this, I hope the remaining building adjoining the one that blew up is closed and torn down so that no one else will have to endure another tragedy like this one.
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